More Teens Are Opting for Virtual Therapy

Health communication systems designed for rural, developing countries -- where hospitals are often understaffed and transportation is inadequate -- are being adapted to improve care in U.S. cities.

In the wake of high-profile shootings, proposals such as banning assault weapons gain momentum. But there are solutions few national politicians are looking at that take a very different tack.

Mental health care often requires a human touch and a personal connection. Tucked quietly in an office park in Grafton, volunteers at the COPE Hotline field nearly 23,000 calls a year from all over the Milwaukee area and some points beyond.

With pressures of depression, anxiety, and suicide on the rise, teenagers in the United States are challenged to find the comfortable outlet and accessibility for emotional support. The Crisis Text Line offers a counseling service through mobile texting, which reduces the shame that can occur when approaching an in-person counselor, and expands access to professional mental health counseling nationwide.

Conventional school policies fail to address the needs of transgender students. A school district in Tampa changed its human rights ordinance to include gender identity and expression.

Suicide rates are rising in the U.S. The Henry Ford Health System in Detroit reduced suicide rates within their insurance plan by 80 percent by actively seeking at risk patients. They screen every hospital patient on every visit and immediately treat those in need.

Mental health research results motivated the U.S. government to fund integrated treatment programs for first-episode psychosis in clinics across the nation.

When students misbehave in school, teachers struggle to decide the right kind of intervention, with school suspension a common outcome. However, research has shown that school suspensions can increase the likelihood of dropouts and incarcerations so that there is pressure to decrease the rate of suspensions. Restorative justice has become a favorable alternative because misbehaving students can participate in a number of supportive activities such as peer meditation or collaborative negotiation to build community, trust, and confidence.

More than 800,000 people worldwide, including about 40,000 Americans, die by suicide each year. Colorado is pushing to prevent suicides by promoting awareness and changing laws to help those at risk.

Paper Tigers captures the pain, the danger, the beauty, and the hopes of struggling teens—and the teachers armed with new science and fresh approaches that are changing their lives for the better.